I work as a senior lecturer in sport pedagogy and work as part of the multidisciplinary profiling area of Social Sustainability for Children and Families (SOSUS). My teaching responsibilities relate to basic physical exercising environment (basic course, didactic course, and advanced course) and supervision of theses (bachelor, master and doctoral). The main focus areas of study are physical education, interaction promoting physical activity in child-adult relationships, and developmental mechanisms of physical activity behaviour and motor development in children and adolescents. I led the Taiturit research funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture during 2021-2023 and supervise two PhD dissertations as the principal supervisor and one as the second supervisor (dissertation was completed in November 2024). In addition to the Taiturit project, I supervise one PhD dissertation as the first supervisor. I disseminate the evidence-based knowledge not through physical education teacher education but also through national networks that promote physical activity, such as the Monitoring and Evaluation Group for Physical Activity in Young Children (Parvi) and through the national On the Move programmes (e.g. Joy in Motion, and Active Family).
Physical inactivity in children is widespread and increases with age. Inactivity associates with increased risk of health problems. Therefore, the ongoing Taiturit project will test mechanisms leading to physical activity in children. The project adopts a geographically randomized and representative longitudinal design with altogether three time points, at children’s ages of 3-7-years, 7-10-years and 10-12-years (aimed amount of children = 932). The study will test two main hypotheses. First, motor competence in early and middle childhood predicts physical activity later in childhood and health-related fitness is the mechanism which explains this association. Second, social support from important others in early and middle childhood predicts physical activity later in childhood and physical literacy explains this association. New knowledge leads to better tools for physical activity services and help to develop more effective physical activity interventions in families, health care and sport clubs.
